Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-05-07

Inc TWO worked on together Tor the next
four years in perfect happiness and content;
BernardinO's fame spread until it eclipsed
that of .Tornello, whose pride and love for
his protege increased with his days. The
young artist was petted and courted upon
every hand, but nothing but his beloved art
seemedt to have power to move him. The
most cunning and artful devices of the most
beautiful and charming, women failed to
wean him from his chisels His workshop
was more to him than the finest salon in
Italy, and in his heart there was only love
for TornellO and the art which they were
both seeking to glorify.
One night, in q dream, woman came to
Bernardino-a woman of the rarest beauty.
"Go, once more" she said, 'to the bleak
On the highest of all the hills is a block of
stone, which hangs in cleft in the rocks.
In it my body is imprisoned. l am the
Queen ofthe Lilies-the spirit presiding over
the flowers which you most love. Lberate
me. Bring the block of stone here in the
City of Lilies, here in the heart of my once
imperial kingdom. Set me free and l will
reward you. Whatever you will shall be
yours"
Believing in his dream, he went back
northward to the detested quarries, whence
he had fled five years before. In the dome
of the highest hill was a deep narrow cleft,
which looked as if it had been chopped into
ak. In this cleft, exactly as he had
dreamed hung block of stone. The work
men removed it for Bernardino, and he had
it sent to Florence and taken to his studio.
Not until then did he tell Tornello his
dream. The old artist smiled.
''1fit has any significance at all, he said,
"the dream means that you eto shape this
beautiful woman, who is to be SO immortal
lied as the Queen of the Lilies. Iwouldnot,
though, if | were you, set much store by the
dream; they are of strange fabric. Some
times one has good cause for thinking that
they have value At other times we have
still better reasons for believing otherwise.
One never can settle upon the things of SO
invisible kingdom"
Rernardino made the marble block into a
half nude statue without a model or anything
else to guide him but his recollection of the
woman of his dream. The face was spiritu-
ally fine and subtle, but the form, though
dainty in its extremities, was voluptuously
though, so pure, sweet and modest about it
that it suggested the lilies to those who saw
it before they were acquainted with the
young artists intention.
All Florence united in pronouncing it a
great creation, and all the country rang with
Bernardinos praises. No one greeted him
with warmer applause than TOrnello, his
master.
"Now, DEAR" he said, II am content.
Every possible temptation has been thrust
upon you, and you have resisted them all.
Even praise has not spoiled you. You are
safe-safe from the harm of wOmen-safe
from everything which could do you hurt.
No man who lives can call you second to
him. You are foremost in art as well as
foremost in virtue"
At that very moment in Roman wine
room, through whose open windows could be
seen the yellow Tiber another great artist
was dining. He had just come down from
Florence, where he had been, with many
others, to see Bernardino's statue of the lily
queen. As he was finishing his dinner his
wine was brought him by young woman,
at sight of whom the artist sprang to his
feet with loud cry of surprise.
"Who are your" he exclaimed, when he
could get his breath.
What ais you" cried the woman are
you ill? You look at me as if you thought
! had the plague"
"Who are you ?" he repeated.
"Only wantOn," she answered, scowline
and struggling her shoulders. "But what Of
that? There are plenty who are worse
than l."
The artist sighed.
"You are exactly like Bernardinos statue
Were you his model? You and his lily
queen could not be more alike, in face and
figure, were you both cut from the same
block"
The woman moved swiftly away, with
strange light in her eyes. When the artist
next went to that wine room she was gone
In the next three months all that human
ity can devise for the honoring of favored
one was done for Bernardino. And he bore
it all with the modesty and simplicity which
had marked his first utterance to Tornello.
One night, at an artists frolic in the young
mans studio, they proposed browning him
with laurel wreath
No." said Tornello, "let it be lily wreath
instead"
How can WEI" cried yellow-haired
Saxon, painter of exquisite portraits. "This
is not the lily season.
ut is always the lily season here" an
swered Tornello bringing out the wreath of
lilies which was the first of Bernardino's
work that he ever saw. "You can crown
him with lilies-you can crown him with
this. II is the work of his own hands, and
it is SO light and perfect that it will well be
come the brow of its creator"
The Saxon and the others caught up the
wreath, but Bernardino took il from their
hands and placed it at the feet of his Won
derful statue,